Flavors of the Sun: The Sahadi’s Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle Eastern Ingredients

Sahadi Whelan—culinary director and co-owner of the eponymous, James Beard Award–winning Middle Eastern market in Brooklyn—presents an exemplary guide to the region’s staples. Readers need not “worry that you might end up with dozens of single-use ingredients,” she assures, because those covered can be used in plenty of recipes. Some of the items are familiar, such as tahini—which she leans on heavily in savory and sweet dishes, including a beef and lentil bowl with tahini dressing and tahini swirl brownies—while the more obscure—such as mahlab (a spice made from St. Lucie cherries)—are given their due in recipes such as double cherry rice pudding and spiced pecans. In addition to classics like fattoush and za’atar bread, readers will enjoy Sahadi’s creative spins on jambalaya (which features jasmine rice, merguez sausage, and preserved lemon) and fava bean nachos. Throughout, sidebars list ideas on how to use different ingredients (as with harissa, which can be added to a seafood marinade or combined with melted butter for a chicken wing dip). This excellent volume offers something for any home cook, no matter how well-versed in Middle Eastern cuisine. Agent: David Black, David Black Agency. (Sept.)